Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Bishop Shaleta, the Chaldean Catholic bishop of the Eparchy of Saint Peter the Apostle of San Diego since 2017, was jailed on eight counts of embezzlement, eight counts of money laundering, and one count of aggravated white collar crime enhancement. Bail was set at $125,000.

The Pillar reported last month that the prelate was under Vatican investigation for alleged financial and sexual misconduct and that he had submitted his resignation.

Pope Leo XIV today accepted the resignation of Cardinal Christophe Pierre, 80, as apostolic nuncio to the United States of America and appointed Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, 68, as his replacement.

“The escalation of violence in the Middle East risks dragging humanity into a war of planetary proportions, a new useless massacre with incalculable consequences,” the Italian Episcopal Conference warned in its announcement.

“The technological revolution challenges you today to keep up with the times,” Pope Leo wrote in his letter, published March 5. “This is a test that concerns us all.”

“But there is—in the age of artificial intelligence—an irreplaceable task that concerns communication and in particular the major newspapers,” he continued: “guaranteeing the transparency of sources, respecting the role of journalists and the dignity of readers, cultivating the human dimension of the story.”

“Your responsibility is great, as long as your history is,” the Pope added.

Father Roberto Pasolini, the Preacher of the Papal Household, devoted his first weekly Lenten sermon to “Conversion: Following the Lord Jesus on the Path of Humility” (full text).

A friar of the Franciscans’ Holy Land province described the night of March 5-6 in Jerusalem as a “terrifying night.”

In a strongly worded op-ed, the Vatican newspaper condemned the airstrike on a girls’ elementary school in Iran on the opening day of the Iran war.